Universities of science and technology advancing the Clean Industrial Deal

LEUVEN, 28 April 2025

The leading universities of science and technology across Europe, united within CESAER, welcome the Clean Industrial Deal (CID) as a critical initiative to accelerate industrial decarbonisation while reinforcing Europe's global competitiveness.

• The position is available here for download and dissemination (PDF).

Building on our 2023 declaration on sustainability and key positions on deep tech, disruptive innovation, and competitiveness, we provide in this paper recommendations to ensure that universities of science and technology can fully contribute across all dimensions to advancing the CID. We focus in particular on strengthening scientific and technological leadership, developing talent, and driving sustainable industrial innovation.

Our key recommendations are detailed around six points:

1. Support the Clean Industrial Deal through leadership in science and technology
2. Invest in people, talent, and skills for a sustainable industrial future
3. Support green innovation startups, spinouts and scale-outs
4. Strengthen circularity as a core principle
5. Integrate “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principles
6. Strengthen global collaboration

“The Clean Industrial Deal arrives at a pivotal time for Europe’s industrial and technological future. But its success will depend on how it is implemented. Universities of science and technology must be systematically involved in shaping and delivering this agenda — as providers of talent and innovation, and as strategic partners in ensuring Europe remains competitive, sustainable, and resilient in the long term.”

-- Mariusz Malinowski, CESAER Envoy to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU and Vice Rector for Research at Warsaw University of Technology.

“This position builds on the momentum created with our 2023 declaration in Madrid, calling for universities to integrate sustainability across all dimensions. Our Task Force Sustainability has worked collectively to provide concrete recommendations for embedding scientific and technological excellence into the heart of the Clean Industrial Deal. We urge EU leaders to see universities as strategic partners in advancing sustainable industry.”

-- Alberto Garrido, Chair of CESAER Task Force Sustainability and Vice-Rector for Academic Strategy and Quality at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

“The Clean Industrial Deal marks an important political signal and turning it into meaningful action will be greatly facilitated by strong involvement of universities of science and technology. As outlined in our position, long-term, well-structured investments across the full research and innovation continuum—without diverting support from existing programmes. The implementation of the deal will be accelerated if it truly enables research and innovation to ensure that competitiveness and sustainability reinforce one another.”

-- Louise Drogoul, Senior Advisor for Innovation & Sustainability at CESAER

For more information, contact our Information & Communication Officer Justine Moynat.